Below are the details of the four new award categories for the 2021 event. Before making a submission, please read the requirements for each award carefully and submit your entry as per the Rules of Entry. All entries must be submitted electronically. There will be no postal entries and you will not be required to provide a hard-copy entry board. Note: the closing date for all entries is 26th March 2021.
Best B2B (Animal Health Manufacturer to Veterinary Practice/Animal Health Retailer) Support Campaign during the COVID Pandemic Award
This award is intended for companies that have demonstrated initiative, innovation and agility in the marketing support of their products and/or services to veterinary practices/animal health retailers, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible entries can include display advertising, direct mail, video, digital, social media activity, e-marketing, website, etc. or other marketing activity. The material must have appeared in the UK between March and December 2020.
Best B2C (Veterinary Practice/Animal Health Retailer to Pet/Equine/Farm Animal Owners) Support Campaign during the COVID Pandemic Award
This award is intended for veterinary practices/animal health retailers that have demonstrated initiative, innovation and agility in the marketing support of their products and/or services to end users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible entries can include display advertising, direct mail, video, digital, social media activity, e-marketing, website, etc. or other marketing activity. The material must have appeared in the UK between March and December 2020.
Best Virtual Event Award
This award is intended for companies that have demonstrated initiative, innovation and agility in adapting previous face-to-face events to virtual events during 2020 due to the cancellation/postponement of live events or utilising virtual events in a unique way to meet marketing objectives.
Marketing Team of the Year 2020 Pandemic Award
This award is intended to recognise and celebrate successful marketing teams, whether in terms of results, productivity or the support they provided to their colleagues or clients within the sector. This award is open to entries in relation to any business across the animal health and veterinary sector. Entrants are able to submit nominations for teams that they work with, or teams in which they play an active role. Entrants are encouraged to consider the impact their nominated team has had on their professional role considering the following judging criteria. Eligible entries should provide examples, statistics and tangible outcomes to demonstrate the achievements of the nominated team.
VMA New Marketing Talent Award – sponsored by British Dairying & VMA
The VMA New Marketing Talent Award (formerly known as Young Marketer of the Year) recognises a marketer who has demonstrated marketing flair within the veterinary and animal health industry. With generous sponsorship from British Dairying magazine and supported by the VMA, this prestigious award is to recognise a young marketer, either in age, experience, or both, who has demonstrated marketing flair within the animal health industry. The winner receives a £2,000 CPD bursary for their ongoing marketing training and development and a £500 cash personal prize, as well as support and advice from the VMA committee of industry professionals. Entrants should be 34 years of age or under and/or in a marketing role for less than five years on 18th June 2021
Veterinary Vote Awards – sponsored by CM Research
No entries required. These awards are voted for by veterinary surgeons in practice:
Veterinary surgeons will be contacted at the beginning of 2021 to elicit their opinions. All responses will be analysed and winners will be announced at the awards.
Veterinary/Animal Health Media Advertising Award – sponsored by Kynetec
This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a veterinary, pharmacy or SQP audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or SQP and appeared in a veterinary/animal health publication in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.
Farm Media Advertising Award – sponsored by Farmers Weekly
This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a farmer audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the farmer and appeared in a farming journal or newspaper in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.
Consumer Media Advertising Award
This award is for advertisements that have been used to promote a product or service to a consumer/pet/equine owning audience. Entries should have been targeted direct to the consumer/pet/equine owner and appeared in a journal, newspaper or a broadcast environment in the UK during 2019. Entries will typically be a single advertisement.
Advertising Campaign Award – sponsored by BMJ
This award is intended for companies that have prepared a campaign or series of advertisements that can only be fully appreciated when viewed as a whole. Entries for this award should have appeared in one or more of the three categories detailed above in the UK during 2019.
Marketing Campaign Award (for companies with a UK annual turnover under £15M) – sponsored by Mark Allen Publishing
This award is intended for companies with an annual turnover of less than £15 million that have prepared a complete marketing communications programme, including a mix of media channels such as: social media, digital, video, direct mail, press material and advertising to support their marketing objectives. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.
Marketing Campaign Award (for companies with a UK annual turnover over £15M) – sponsored by Noble Futures
This award is intended for companies with an annual turnover of more than £15 million that have prepared a complete marketing communications programme, including a mix of media channels such as: social media, digital, video, direct mail, press material and advertising to support their marketing objectives. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.
Detail Aid Award – sponsored by ProAgrica
Entries for this award should have been used by company sales representatives within veterinary practices/animal health retailers in the UK during 2019. Entries into this category can either be in printed or digital form.
Direct Mail Award – sponsored by Vetfile
Eligible entries for this award are direct mail campaigns targeted at veterinary surgeons, pharmacists, SQP’s, farmers, pet or equine owners in the UK during 2019.
International Marketing Campaign Award – sponsored by The Webinar Vet
This award provides an opportunity for marketing agencies to highlight their achievements in developing a marketing communications platform which has been used internationally. Criteria as per the Marketing Campaign Award except that the campaign must have been executed in the UK plus one other country during 2019.
Point of Sale Award – sponsored by Lewis Business Media
This award is intended for promotional materials used within the premises where products for animals are sold, dispensed or prescribed for the purposes of supporting the product through branding, merchandising, education etc. Examples would include items such as leaflets, posters, merchandising units, etc. The campaign must have been executed or materials available in the UK during 2019.
Practice Marketing Award – sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim
This is a category for veterinary practices only. It will be awarded to the practice (companion, production animal or equine) that demonstrates the most initiative and/or innovation in the marketing of its products and/or services to end users. Eligible entries for this award can include: display advertising, direct mail, digital or social media activity (e-marketing, website, etc) or events (e.g. open days) which has been targeted at end users of the practice’s products or services, for example, to clients, general public or farmers. The material must have appeared in the UK during 2019.
Integrated Digital Campaign Award – sponsored by Vet Times
This award recognises marketing campaigns (product promotional or educational) executed across a range of different digital and social channels and integrated to deliver an effective and cohesive campaign. The campaign must have been executed in the UK during 2019.
Digital Innovation Award – sponsored by Brand iQ
This award recognises the use of leading-edge digital technology in the veterinary /animal health market (can be technology previously used in other industries), or the innovative use of older digital formats. Use of new digital technology will focus on how it stretches the boundaries, meets project objectives and communicates to the target audience whilst innovative use of more established technologies will focus on novel ideas and excellence in implementation. Entries must have been used in the UK during 2019.
PR Award – sponsored by Veterinary Times/Vn Times
This award is for the company or veterinary practice that has delivered the most innovative PR initiative or programme in 2019. This can be a single ‘one-off’ published piece or a sustained campaign over a given period to support a product/initiative in the veterinary/animal health industry. It will include published material in any journal, magazine, newspaper, TV, radio or other electronic medium in the UK during 2019. The material must be genuine editorial – campaigns which include a paid format (e.g. advertorial or sponsored material) as part of the programme can be entered for the award, however any ‘paid for’ elements will not be judged or form part of the scoring.
Exhibition Award
This award is for innovative and effective use of exhibition space during 2019. Entries will need to show visuals of the stand and any promotional activity used to promote the stand both before and/or during the exhibition.
Veterinary Vote Awards – sponsored by CM Research
These awards are voted for by veterinary surgeons in practice:
Veterinary surgeons were contacted at the beginning of 2020 to elicit their opinions. All responses were analysed and winners determined but could not be presented in 2020 so will now be announced and presented at the 2021 event.
The Nick Henderson Award – Recognising Excellence in Marketing
This award is given for the most outstanding entry of all those entered. It is intended to mark a notable achievement (innovatory or brave) in any aspect of the advertising mix – messaging, creativity, delivery, etc. Judging for this award will be undertaken after all the categories have been seen by the judging panel.
